Charette, Hurd contribute 17 each

RINDGE, N.H. (January 21, 2015) – A strong first-half effort by the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team helped the Ravens hold off a second-half surge by the Pace University Setters, en route to a 65-57 victory in Northeast-10 Conference play at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Junior forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) and graduate student forward Jessica Hurd (Kegworth, England) led the way with 17 points each for Franklin Pierce.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce improves to 10-4 on the season, with an 8-3 mark in the Northeast-10. With the loss, Pace falls to 8-10 overall, with a 3-8 record in the Conference. The win for the Ravens marks a 15-1 stretch while playing at the friendly confines of the Fieldhouse, dating back to last season. Also the win was the Ravens' fourth straight win against the Setters, with their last loss coming on the road during the 2011-12 season.

Pace started the game on a 9-4 run in the first three minutes, but after a timeout by head coach Jen Leedham with 16:40 remaining in the half, the Ravens turned things around, outscoring the Setters 32-9 the rest of the first stanza.

It all led to a first half the Ravens dominated on both ends of the court. They shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 24 points in the paint, and had assists on eight of their 14 first-half field goals. On the defensive side, Franklin Pierce held Pace to a 32.0 field goal percentage and a 10.0 percent mark (1-for-10) from beyond the three-point arc. The Ravens upset the rhythm of the Setters' offense, causing Pace to commit nine turnovers in the half. The highlight of the Ravens' stingy defense was with two seconds left when Pace had an open layup and sophomore Jasmyne Fogle (Bridgeport, Conn.) pursued the shooter from behind and timed a block perfectly, swatting the ball out of bounds.

Coming out of a 36-21 hole at halftime, Pace started the second half on a 16-9 run, bringing the deficit to single digits for the first time since late in the first half. Pace would stay on the Ravens all half, eventually outscoring Franklin Pierce by seven points. Pace relied on the hot hand of senior forward Jaclyn Oskam, who put up 10 points in the half, including going 2-for-3 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw stripe. All of Oskam's scoring came in the second half after attempting only one field goal in the first half.

After putting up just four points in the first half, Charette put home 13 points for the Ravens in the second half to finish the game tied for the team lead in points with 17. Charette only hit two field goals in the second half, as the bulk of her scoring came at the free-throw line, where she went 11-for-12 in the game. Charette's work was able to stop a late surge from Pace; the Setters drew the game to within six points with under a minute to play, before Charette hit both shots of two separate one-and-one chances at the line. Charette would also finish the game one rebound short of a double-double, pulling in a game-high nine rebounds.

Franklin Pierce also got strong games from Hurd, graduate student guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.), and junior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.). Hurd tied Charette for the team lead in points with 17 and also flirted with a double-double, getting eight boards on the night. Hurd went an impressive 5-for-6 from the free throw line and chipped in two assists in the victory. McDonald played the role of floor general for the Ravens, controlling the tempo of the game from the point and playing strong defense. All five of McDonald's field goal attempts were from behind the three-point line, and she connected on three of those attempts to finish with nine points. In addition to her nine points, McDonald finished with two assists and two steals. Gardner netted just two points for the Ravens but ended up with seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists, five more assists than the next leading facilitator.

Pace was able to get double-digit production from both senior guard Margo Hackett, who finished with 14 points, and Oskam, who came off the bench to net her 10 second-half points. In addition to Oskam's 10 points down the stretch, she was able to haul in seven rebounds.

Franklin Pierce is about to start a three-game road stretch, going to Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, Jan. 24 to take on the Owls at 1:30 p.m. The Ravens return to the Fieldhouse at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, when they play host to the Dolphins of Le Moyne College.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).